Parents Guide

Parents always want the best for their children – however, knowing what is best depends on a number of factors creating a unique situation for each parent and child. Education is an important facet of everyone’s lives. The choices made, will affect one throughout their adult life.

The guidance you can provide your child can be invaluable to their educational achievements. This is in contrast to actually helping them. The distinction comes from enabling them to think and achieve for themselves as opposed to doing it for them. Invoking a child’s ability to answer homework questions through guidance, for example, will provide a foundation for later coursework and exams. Directly helping them answer questions only provides short-term results and creates a circle of dependence, which grows over time.

It can be very frustrating to see or learn of your child’s reluctance to study. Especially if socialising with their friends, watching TV and playing games seems to always take precedence. Again, the role of guidance can be invaluable. Creating a reward structure for spending time completing homework, reading relevant books and starting coursework on time will reap benefits in the longer term. Pushing and argumentative conflicts only serve to enhance a child’s impression of loathing towards education and may affect choices in the further, especially concerning the continuance of education through college and university.

Try to spend a few hours to create an action plan for yourself based on the six tips below. This will help guide you to the right responses and actions towards maintaining a healthy studying environment throughout your child’s education.

• Time management – Help with time management to ensure that homework, coursework and revision is completed effectively and not rushed at the last minute
• Organisation – Provide a place of study where it is quiet and free from distractions, with any necessary equipment easily to hand
• Financial – Ensure that equipment (including PC) required for the various courses are available – the best/most expensive is not always necessary, more important is that the equipment meets their needs
• Guidance – When it comes to course selection, guide according to abilities and interests and do not base on your own interests, career or current trends
• Motivation – Provide support and motivation regularly and take an interest both in the courses being undertaken and the progress being made
• Balance – Encourage the right balance between studying, family, social and recreational activities